Research

Scientific evidence is the truly the only avenue to change that positively impacts the health and wellbeing of our patient population. The Emergency Medicine Research Program at Wayne State University has a track record of actively addressing the needs of our patients by conceiving, designing, and conducting funded research projects in the areas of neurological emergencies, resuscitation, sepsis, palliative care, toxicology and heart failure. We are one of the few programs in the country with a world class clinical and basic science program. This allows us to test new therapies at the bench and then validate them at the bedside.

The Department of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University has a rich history of generating paradigm-shifting and practice-changing publications in the leading medical and basic science journals. Further we have an established track record of securing extramural funding from the most competitive funding sources. Our Research faculty is committed in their roles of teaching and mentoring medical students, residents and fellows in order to advance the specialty and cultivate the next generation of clinical scientists.

The Department of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University has a rich history of excellence in both the basic science and clinical research arena. That tradition continues, with the breadth and quality constantly escalating. Our short-term goals are multiple and include the integration of a traumatic brain injury focus and the development of a multi-center collaborative. We plan to look a number of diagnostic modalities to assess patients with mild to moderate brain injuries. We plan to utilize EEG, serum markers of neuronal injury and functional MRI technology to predict long-term prognosis and predilection for post-concussive syndrome. We are also in the early stages of integrating the multiple Wayne State University affiliated emergency medicine programs into the Southeast Michigan Acute Research Trials network, (SMART). This network when established will have huge breadth both in numbers, (850,000 pts/yr) and in demographics. The network will be a collaborative effort with representatives from each of the participating centers and will serve to conceive and promulgate clinical research studies.

Our short-term goals in the basic science lab are to establish a stroke and traumatic brain injury rat model to accompany our cardiac arrest model. Our long-term goals are to establish a seamless neurologic injury translational model. Our short-term goals will allow the research, development and of therapies aimed at reducing neurologic damage from a number of insults. The therapies will be developed and tested in the basic science lab and will then be validated in clinical trial utilizing the SMART network. Further we plan to nurture and expand our excellent cadre of research scientists, train the next generation of scientists and improve the lives of our patients.

Clinical Research

Our clinical research department is blessed with bright, energetic and committed faculty under the solid direction of Robert Welch M.D. Our areas of clinical research interests are as diverse as our faculty.

Neurologic Emergencies

WSU is a hub for the NIH sponsored Neurologic Emergency Trial Network, (NETT) site and actively participates in the direction and recruitment in these trials. Robert Welch MD is the PI for this network with Dr. O'Neil serving as a co-PI on this project. Our main neurologic research interests are stroke and mild to moderate traumatic brain injury.

Cardiac Emergencies

Dr. Phil Levy is our passionate expert in congestive heart failure and hypertension. His studies investigate both the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

Infections Disease & Sepsis

Dr. Robert Sherwin is our talented sepsis and critical care expert. His research interests include infectious disease, sepsis and its monitoring and resuscitation.

Cerebral Resuscitation

Dr. Brian O'Neil, in a direct extension of his basic science training, has been conducting research into the re-animation of post-cardiac arrest patients. His research has focused on therapeutic hypothermia, its utility and mechanisms and the use of cerebral oximetry to predict neurologic outcomes and direct medical therapy.